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If yesterday’s news conference was a title fight, Anthony Mundine would’ve left Daniel Geale dazed and confused on the canvas.
Geale, for all of his skill in the ring, comes a distant second to Mundine when it comes to the gift of the gab.
He shouldn’t feel bad though. Few, if any, can match Mundine’s razor sharp tongue.
The former rugby league star jabbed and hooked with one-liners and didn’t duck and weave any retort from Geale, his promoter Gary Shaw or journalists in the crowd.
It was classic Mundine with a bit of adults only language unexpectedly chucked in.
The scream louder for longer method certainly worked.
His voice left a lasting impression between the ears.
Mundine puts bums on seats and he knows it. Create headlines and the pay per view and ticket sales will follow.
It’s mostly theatre, but when two of the best middleweights in the country come together you have to question whether the copious serving of bluff and blunder is needed.
Talk to someone close to Mundine and they’ll tell you he isn’t the villain he tries to portray himself as.
They talk of a man who is unrecognisable to the one who fills the airwaves with verbal barrages.
The Mundine they know is open, giving and dedicated to helping those less fortunate than him.
It’s impossible to reconcile the two sides of the same individual.
That’s not to apologise for the former rugby league player, but more to highlight the way he sees the game and chooses to play it.
The problem is that the nice guy would probably be less of a drawcard and in professional boxing that means less money.
Would fans accept a build-up free from the usual barbs and instead be content to marvel at two Australian’s with plenty of ability in the squared circle?
Would it be enough to have both men come out, shake hands and say, “see you on Wednesday”?
Mundine speaks of his “respect” for Geale and in the same breath expresses his utter contempt for his achievements.
It’s almost impossible for anyone to really find where the line between fact and fiction is when it comes to the relationship between the two fighters.
You’d have an easier time solving a Sudoku puzzle while blindfolded.
Thankfully bouts aren’t decided by one-liners, but skill and determination.
But are graft and grind enough to put money in the bank, fans in the seats and eyes on the television?
Mundine accused Geale of being “boring” but is he more or less marketable because of his more measured approach?
You’d have to search far and wide to find someone who genuinely had a bad word to say about him or his ability.
So, what’s more important?
Would you pay for a fight where the pre-match theatre was non-existent?
Does it cheapen the product?
Or is drama an essential component?
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